A Coward's Courage
by ErinHiddlestoner
Summary: Everyday at 11:30 am, Mr. Gold would go down to the library. And every day, he left without saying a word. Prompt for the "Skin Deep" 6-month anniversary. Rumbelle.


So I decided to try my hand at filling a prompt for the first time, in honor of the "Skin Deep" six month anniversary. Not quite sure if I'm completely happy with it, but I figured I'd share it anyway. :)

Prompt by diaryofawriter_: "Belle is the Storybrooke librarian and Gold is always hanging around trying to get a chance to talk to her._

_It can be smutty or anything. Just have at it!"_

A Coward's Courage

It happened everyday at 11:30. Every day at 11:30 am, the notorious pawn shop owner Mr. Gold would close his shop for a "lunch break." And every day at 11:30 am, Mr. Gold would bypass Granny's Diner and head straight for the building in the center of Storybrooke. The town library.

Mr. Gold would walk confidently to the town square; at least, until he actually got to the town square. Then his walk would become more hesitant, more subdued. By the time he reached for the door handles, his hands would be shaking. Most days, he never actually went in, choosing to turn away from the door and lean against the East wall of the building. There had been a few occasions where he managed to walk into the haven of literature, but he never stayed long. To the few residents of Storybrooke who visited the library, it was a little obvious what was wrong, but none would say anything, for fear of increased rent.

Mr. Gold was afraid of something in the library. And that something was Isabelle French.

There was nothing remotely frightening about the young woman. Isabelle French had lovely chestnut curls that were usually kept in a half-up style. She was shorter than most women, but her personality and cheerful smile more than made up for it. There was never any malice hiding within her sapphire eyes. Isabelle was probably the nicest and most welcoming person in all of Storybrooke.

Mr. Gold's fear, however, was not due to Isabelle French, but rather Princess Belle, daughter of King Maurice. In fact, Gold's fear was not _Mr. Gold's_ fear but rather Rumpelstiltskin's. Rumpelstiltskin had never forgotten who he truly was; after all, he _created_ the curse. Though Regina believed that she was its only master, Rumpelstiltskin truly controlled much of the curse. He had hidden a certain clause within the curse, allowing him to keep his memories. For as much as he wished to forget the tragedies and mistakes that had occurred throughout his very long life, he had known that he couldn't. To do that would be to lose Bae again; to willfully forget Belle would have been to desecrate her memory and kill her once more.

Upon waking up in Storybrooke, however, Rumpelstiltskin (now Mr. Gold, and really, wasn't Her Majesty just so _clever_) had learned that his beloved Belle was not dead as the Evil Queen had told him. Mr. Gold had marched up to the library that first day, intending to put right all that he had done wrong by Belle. That day, he hadn't even been able to get within five feet of the building.

All that Belle had said to him was true, after all. He _was_ a coward. Every day, he woke up full of plans to get his Belle back, to finally have his True Love again and this time not let her go. And every day at 11:30 am, he would walk over to the library, only to turn away in fear and doubt.

What if Belle remembered? What if she didn't? What if she was angry with him for what he done that day in the Dark Castle? Mr. Gold wasn't sure if he could lose her again and live on. He was a coward, one who was to afraid to face the woman he loved, the only other person besides Baelfire who would ever hold any power over him, a coward who could not even walk up to her and say hello.

So on and on the cycle continued, never changing, with Mr. Gold never quite able to be in the library for more than a couple minutes. Until one day, 28 years after Mr. Gold had first realized that he could have a second chance to fix the one decision he had always regretted, something changed. Emma Swan, the prophesized Saviour of the people of Storybrooke, finally came to the town.

And it would appear that Emma would also be able to save a coward from himself, as after meeting her, Mr. Gold shook away his fears and doubts, marched right up to the library, opened the doors and finally spoke to Isabelle French for the first time.


End file.
